Fingertips of God

Haya Murray

Mockingbird

This is a trade paperback reprint edition of S.L. MacGregor Mathers’ The Key of Solomon the King first published in 1888. It contains the original text, all 91 illustrations, and over 80 footnotes composed by Mathers, which detail his original research and translation of ancient manuscripts located in British Museums. Also provided by Mathers is the Order of the Pentacles of Solomon, the Ancient Fragment of the Key of Solomon, The Qabalistic Invocation of Solomon, and 15 plates full of figures, seals and charts to aid the reader in their work. Beware of other editions that do not contain all of the original material, as the the book is rendered useless without them. The work is traditionally divided into two books detailing the Key of King Solomon. Book One explains the operation of conjurations, curses, spells and other magical works. Book Two instructs the practitioner on the proper attire, purification rituals and other means of obtaining the goals of the Goetia. Between these two books is the list of plates that contain numerous illustrations and secret seals of Solomon, including the Mystical Seal of Solomon, the Pentacles of Solomon, and the Mystical Alphabet, which impart the mechanisms and requirements for the invocation of spirits and demons and other magical works or spells. Sometimes referred to as the Greater Key of Solomon, this work should not be confused with the Lesser Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis Regis, or Lemegeton, which is based on similar source material and was also researched by S. L. MacGregor Mathers with the aid of Aleister Crowley. It is thought that The Greater Key of Solomon later inspired The Lesser Key as a derivative work: one with its own substantial value through the addition of various illustrations and guides such as the Magic Circle of Solomon, the 72 Seals of Solomon or King Solomon Seals, and the Pentagram of Solomon. But, although both grimoires are inspired by the same material, they are separate and distinct works. It is important to note the Solomon Key is not any one particular book. The material has been collected in various forms and published by many authors, including Armand Delatte, and L. W. de Laurence. The earliest versions of the text can be found in ancient manuscripts in different languages all dating from the 16th century or later and spread across the globe in various libraries or private collections. For example, a Hebrew edition survives in the British Library, while a Latin version is kept at the University of Wisconsin. Various French editions as well as English translations are located throughout the world. According to the mythical history of the document, King Solomon wrote the book for his son Rehoboam and commanded him to hide the book in his sepulchre upon his death. After many years, the book was discovered by a group of Babylonian philosophers repairing Solomon's tomb. None could interpret the text until one of them, Iohé Grevis, suggested that they should entreat the Lord for understanding. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and extracted a promise that he would keep the text hidden from the unworthy and the wicked, after which he was able to read it plainly. Iohé Grevis then placed a conjuration on the book preventing the unworthy, unwise, and godless from attaining the desired effect of its practices. Scholars however believe the work and its many iterations derive from the ancient practices of Jewish Kabbalah and Arab Alchemy. After time, it is thought Greek and Roman influences were added until, finally, the work was used and molded by high Renaissance magicians. This book, as well as other King Solomon books, such as the Magical Treatise of King Solomon and the Testament of Solomon, were brought back to modern times through the labors of occult practitioners such as S. L. MacGregor Mathers and others around the turn of the last century.

The Key of Solomon the King

Religion & Spirituality

Mathers, S.L. MacGregor

Occult & Paranormal

Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Gospel

This paperback edition of the Pistis Sophia is a complete and accurate reprint of the original translation by G.R.S. Mead in 1921. It contains all of Mead’s original notes and running commentary, as well as his annotated bibliography which includes numerous sources and further research material for the reader. The Pistis Sophia is a gnostic text thought to have been written sometime between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. According to Mead, there were two codices discovered in the late 18th century that contained the original work. The Bruce Codex was brought to Oxford by the famous Scottish traveler Bruce in 1769, and the Askew Codex was given to the British Museum by the heirs of a wealthy doctor in 1785. Both codices were thereafter translated by experts and their contents ordered in a fashion that seemed proper according to their best abilities. Mead’s translation followed these efforts, but as he says in his introduction, the order of the contents was changed “to place the contents of these Coptic translations roughly in such a sequence that the reader may be led from lower to higher grades of the Gnosis.” The Pistis Sophia itself is of such a marvelous and complex nature, that it is hard to describe in a short space. But generally, the book shows the risen Jesus revealing the lower and higher mysteries to a group of his followers over the period of 22 years. Included in these mysteries are complex cosmologies that the human soul must travel through in order to reach Gnosis with the Father. A new story of the rise and fall of a restorative figure known as the Pistis Sophia is also given by Christ. The text in the first three of the four books is a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples, including Mary Magdalene, who is the most active in the discussion. Other disciples involved include John the Virgin, Andrew, Bartholomew, James, John, Mary, Martha, Mathew, Philip, Salome, Simon the Canaanite, and Thomas. It is apparent, based on the character of the text, that the work was a compilation of various earlier editions, as some subjects and events are covered multiple times with slight variations. Changes in certain words used in describing the same ideas also illustrate that the collected works were from different time periods. The first book details how Jesus, after his resurrection, stayed with his disciples for eleven years teaching the lowest of the mysteries. An intricate cosmology is introduced through the details of Jesus ascending the so called aeons in order to do battle with certain servants (archons) of the creator god who stands between human beings and gnosis. It is in this cosmology that the new myth of the Pistis Sophia is introduced and discussed continuing into the second book, where connection between the current work and the Book of Jeu is demonstrated. Interestingly, unlike such other Gnostic myths such as the Apocryphon of John, the Pistis Sophia myth is limited to the lower aeons, not herself being a divine being from the higher levels of heaven. The third book concerns the ethical code for the adherents of Christianity, and outlines punishments for the transgression of that ethical system. Additionally, human beings and their spiritual nature are discussed, along with their connectedness to each other and when they should be given the mysteries. The fourth book details further cosmological and astrological systems, including myths of fallen archons and their imprisonment within certain zodiacal spheres. Five realms of punishment with their corresponding types of sinners are revealed, along with the ritual and requirements for their release.

Literature & Fiction

Mead', G R. S.

Literary

This is a fully illustrated trade paperback edition of Ingersoll Lockwood's classic children's story. In the 1890s, Ingersoll Lockwood authored a series of children's books about the escapades of his character, the young Baron Trump: Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and his Wonderful Dog Bulger, and Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey. The series followed a literary trend of the time, which had child protagonists adventuring to enchanted lands and encountering fantastic beings. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are two famous examples of this genre. Lockwood's Baron is an aristocratic youth bored with his life of luxury in Castle Trump. Searching for adventure, Baron travels to Russia to discover an underground world beneath his feet. He journeys downward and finds himself lost in peculiar settings surrounded by the strange inhabitants of this new world. The stories follow his adventures and eventual struggle to find his way back to the surface he left behind. The Baron Trump novels were obscured by the more successful children's books of the time. Lockwood's tall tales seemed destined for the literary dust bin, but the election of Donald Trump in 2016 renewed interest in these works due to the President's youngest son's name: Barron Trump. Now, back in print, the Baron Trump series is enjoying considerable interest and success.

Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Lockwood, Ingersoll

Fantasy

Ingersoll Lockwood’s two books, Baron Trump’s Marvellous Underground Journey & 1900; Or, The Last President, have seen a resurgence in interest since Donald Trump’s election to President of the United States in 2016. Both books were written before the turn of the 20th Century, but both contain eerie similarities with modern day political events. For the first time, both works are presented in a single volume so readers can decipher for themselves whether Lockwood’s words were a telling of things to come, or just a curious coincidence of American literature.

1900; Or, The Last President

Teen & Young Adult

Psilocybin Mushrooms of The United States: A Visual Guide

This book's purpose is to provide a quick visual reference for readers interested in psilocybin mushrooms of the United States. The book's layout and format were organized to achieve that intent. Over 35 species of mushrooms are presented, along with images of each, their morphological characteristics, their range in the United States, and descriptions of their psychoactive properties. All regions of the U.S. are included, making this book useful for all amateur mycologists and mushroom foragers in the United States.

Science & Math

Beck, Mary

Biological Sciences

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